


You're The Only Place That Feels Like Home

by taylor_writes



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Bakery and Coffee Shop, Getting Together, Goalies, Hockey, M/M, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-10-08 18:05:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10392846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylor_writes/pseuds/taylor_writes
Summary: Jack falls in love with a goalie.





	1. Some Secrets Were Meant To Be Told

**Author's Note:**

> Titles (fic and chapter) from Fall Out Boy's "I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me"
> 
> Characters from Check, Please
> 
> I think I'm the only one that ships this, but here it is in case someone else is also in need of some Jack/Snowy content

Goalies are weird. That’s just a fact of life.

Jack doesn’t expect much of his first day with the Providence Falconers. He’ll meet the team, hopefully they’ll be nice but if they’re not it doesn’t matter much. He’s just there to play hockey.

Nothing could have prepared Jack for Adam Bosnowsky, or Snowy as the team called him.

“This is goalie Snowy, he stays in trainers room lots,” Tater announces as he leads Jack around the facility. He wanted to know whose idea it was to make Tater the Official Tour Guide. Jack had imagined his tour would include stuff about the history of the team, the history of the building, but that’s not what Tater had in mind. He searched out every player, showing them to Jack in their “nature habitat” which apparently included the trainers room, the rink, the locker room, and the restroom. That’s where he met Poots.

“Fuck off, Tater,” Snowy said, tossing his hat in the general direction of Tater and Jack before he realizes Tater’s not alone. “Wait, who’s the tour for?”

“New rookie Zimmboni!” Tater said, shoving Jack forward into the room. “He come from Samwell to play for Falconers. Son of Bad Bob Zimmboni!”

“Euh, hello,” Jack mumbled, awkwardly extending a hand to the (handsome) man lying on the table. “Jack Zimmermann.”

“Adam, but they call me Snowy,” he said with a firm handshake and… was that a wink?

“Nice to meet you.” Jack backed out of the room, a blush spreading over his face. “Tater, what’s next on the tour?”

Thankfully, Tater didn’t seem to notice how Jack was affected by the goalie. “Next we go to coach’s office!”

~

Jack had hoped Snowy would forget about their strange interaction, but that wasn’t his luck. The next morning when he showed up for practice, Snowy was sitting in Jack’s stall in the locker room, eating an apple like he belonged there.

“Hey Zimmboni, have you tried these apples? Thirdy’s wife grows them in their backyard and they’re amazing. Want a bite?” He held out the half-eaten apple.

“Um, no thanks. I’ve already eaten.” Jack tried to tactfully turn down the offer.

“No problem, buddy,” he said as he stood up and smacked Jack in the arm. “Don’t eat breakfast tomorrow though. I’ll bring you an extra one.”

“Okay,” Jack agreed for some reason. He tells himself it’s because he wants to be friendly to the team, and a home-grown apple really does sound good. He tells himself it’s definitely not because Snowy smiled up at him and he found himself unable to breathe for a minute and he’d do anything to keep him smiling like that. Fuck.

Jack Zimmermann had a crush on the goalie.

It only became harder to hide in the next few weeks. Snowy brought him the apple the next day, as promised, and it was delicious. Every day after that, he got to the rink to find Snowy in his stall with some kind of breakfast item. Sometimes it was another apple. Other times it was hashbrowns from McDonald’s or a smoothie he “conveniently made too much of.” 

As he’d learned from his brief relationship with Bittle last year, the way to his heart was through food, and he was falling harder and harder for Snowy with every day. But he was just being a friendly teammate, Jack told himself. There was nothing there.

~

He’d been with the Falconers for three months now, and today was the first day Snowy wasn’t waiting with breakfast for him. He wasn’t there at all, actually. As much as Jack hated to admit it, he felt disappointed.

Until Tater burst through the locker room door with Snowy following behind looking…nervous?

Tater pushed Snowy forward until he was standing in front of Jack. “Zimmboni, Goalie Snowy has something to ask you.”

If looks could kill, Tater’s cause of death would be Snowy’s glare. 

“Do you maybe…want to go out for breakfast?” the usually-confident Snowy looked like a kid in middle school asking their first crush to a dance. It was adorable.

“Yeah, sure. I know a great bakery down the street,” Jack didn’t know why this simple question had required Tater to practically force it out of him. 

Tater sighed and rolled his eyes. “As a date, Zimmboni. Goalie Snowy tell me all day how good is Zimmboni at hockey, how large of ass Zimmboni have, how he bring you breakfasts every day. He wants to take you on date, he will not shut up to me.”

Jack and Snowy were both looking at the floor like there was something interesting going on down there. 

“Yeah, I’d like to go on a date,” Jack mumbled, tilting his head even further down to hide the blush that was taking over his entire face. 

“Tomorrow, then?” Snowy asked. “Before practice?”

“Sure,” Jack said, smiling.

Tater slapped them both on the back. “Good. Now you talk to each other and leave Tater out of this.”


	2. Let's Try, Let's Try, Let's Try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, young love. Jack and Snowy go on a first date that's as awkward as both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Panic! At The Disco's "Hallelujah"  
> Characters from Check, Please

Adam Bosnowsky was terrified. He never thought it would come to this, to Tater dragging him through the locker room to confess his love to the rookie.

~

Three months earlier

He’d been so thankful when Tater joined the team because he had a fellow Russian to talk to, and the two of them became fast friends. It had been nice to talk in his first language, and to have someone to complain to about the lack of authentic Russian food in Providence. It was good to have someone from home, even though he’d been in the States for close to a decade, it still felt unfamiliar sometimes.

And everything had been fine until Tater had introduced him to the new rookie Zimmermann, who had the most incredible eyes and an ass that was out of this world. And he wasn’t loud and obnoxious like some of the other guys, he almost seemed shy? He was the cutest thing Snowy had ever seen. 

But Zimmboni (as Tater named him) was oblivious to flirting. Gossip got around that he’d recently ended a relationship with a guy back at Samwell, so Snowy figured he had a good shot if Zimmermann was into dudes.

Time to begin Plan S for Seduction. 

“Is dumb name for plan,” Tater told him on the phone later that night. “Means plans A through R not work.” Snowy didn’t give a fuck.

He grabbed a fresh apple on his way out the door, planning to offer it to the rookie. No one could turn down fresh fruit, right? Until he got to the locker room and realized he hadn’t brought himself anything for breakfast and he was starving. Maybe Zimmermann would settle for half an apple? 

~

The weeks went on and it became a routine. Snowy would get to the rink early and bring extra food for Jack, who would smile and accept it. He hardly ever smiled, so Snowy considered this a victory. 

Until Tater decided to intervene.

He’d come over to Snowy’s for their weekly cooking session, making foods from home because nowhere else could do it right. 

“He liked the smoothie today,” Snowy said, absentmindedly chopping vegetables. “Maybe I’ll make another one next week and also ‘accidentally’ make extra.”

“You move too slow,” Tater said, waving his knife around as he spoke. “Zimmboni have crush on you, it has been months of the same breakfasts bringing. You need to make move.”

Snowy had thought about it, but he was content with how things were. It was nice, being breakfast buddies with Zimmermann. They got to have short conversations every morning about the weather, the game, just normal things. It was good.

“You make move or I make move for you,” Tater threatened. “You have one week.”

Snowy laughed and filled up a pot with water. 

~

Present day

Apparently, Tater was serious. Exactly one week later, he cornered Snowy in the parking lot. 

“Today is day you make move on Zimmboni.”

Snowy protested, but Tater was faster than he looked. He grabbed Snowy and drug him into the locker room, shoving him in front of Jack.

“Zimmboni, Goalie Snowy has something to ask you,” he announced. Snowy had never been so glad he got to practice early, when him and Jack were the only ones in the locker room. 

He asked Jack to go to breakfast. The next three seconds were probably the longest of his life, more stressful than any shootout in a game. But then Jack said yes and started talking about some bakery and everything was good again. 

Then Tater had to go and ruin it all again.

“…how good is Zimmboni at hockey, how large of ass Zimmboni have…” Snowy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was the most embarrassed he’d ever been, including the time in elementary school when he’d gotten up to give a presentation and had tripped over his backpack and ripped his pants. 

But…Jack still said yes? And then it was over and they were going for breakfast tomorrow morning. 

He probably owed Tater one of those thank-you baskets with fruit and wine for this. He sent one when he got home from practice. 

~

The next morning, he woke up an hour earlier than normal and looked up directions to the bakery. It really was within walking distance from the rink, and he wondered how he’d never noticed it before.

“Bonjour!” looked warm and inviting, the red brick exterior with giant windows looking in to cases full of pastries. The smell of fresh coffee wafted out any time the door was opened.

Snowy stood out front with his hands in his pockets, trying to find the courage to go inside. It didn’t look like Zimmermann was here yet, thankfully. It would give him time to order a coffee and become a bit more of a functioning human before he had to attempt this whole dating thing. 

It had been years since he’d been on a date, his last girlfriend had broken up with him three years ago. Jess hadn’t wanted to be with someone that was gone all the time for games. He missed birthdays and anniversaries, and she’d wanted someone that could be there for those things. It was understandable, and they were still friends. 

He’d never been one for casual hookups or one night stands, and it had been awhile since there had been anyone he was interested in. Snowy had been considering if it was too early to start his life with 45 cats before Zimmermann came around. Hey, it was working for Parson. 

Too lost in his thoughts, Snowy hadn’t even heard Jack approach until he had an arm thrown around his shoulders and was being led into the bakery.

“Good morning, hope you like coffee and pastries,” Jack smiled down at him. 

Snowy nodded. “What’s the best thing to get here?” he asked, trying to disguise his confusion with the menu that was entirely in French. 

Jack laughed and went to the counter, speaking rapid French. Snowy couldn’t help it if his mind wandered to all the other situations where Jack could speak French to him. On the ice, at dinner, in the bedroom…. He really needed to stop that train of thought.

Just in time, Jack returned with two cups of coffee and two pastries. “Tarte Tatin,” he explained. “It’s basically upside-down apple tart, with lots more butter.”

Snowy takes a bite of one and it’s so good and he may or may not have moaned loudly, causing both him and Jack to stare down at their plates, embarrassed. 

“I, uh, I guess that means you like it?” Jack glanced up. “These were always my favorite pastries back home in Quebec. They’re simple but still so good. This place makes them almost as good as my mother’s.”

“Yeah these are amazing. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.” Snowy glanced around at the nearly-empty interior decorated with floral wallpaper and warm colors. “I’ll have to start coming here more often.”

Jack stared down at his coffee and mumbled something.

“What was that?”

“I said, um, maybe we could come here again? Together?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Zimmermann?” Snowy laughed.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Asking you on a date, that is. Another one. In the future.” His words were all jumbled up, but the meaning was clear.

“I’d like that.” Snowy smiled at him.Jack stood up, grabbing his coffee cup. “We’d better get to practice, eh? Wouldn’t want to be late.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Snowy grabbed his coffee and what was left of the tart. He’d completely forgotten about practice, content to sit here with Jack for as long as he’d let him. 

He grabbed Jack’s hand as they walked out the door together, and they held hands all the way back to the rink. They separated when they got there, not wanting the team to have any suspicions about the two of them.

Of course, Tater pulled Snowy aside the minute he got in the locker room.

“Date with Zimmboni. Spill the details.” He was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Calm down, Tater,” Snowy whispered. “It went fine. He ordered pastries in French. We held hands. He asked to go on another date to the bakery.”

“Another date! Good job! You not mess things up!” Tater was trying his hardest to be quiet, but asking Tater to be quiet was like asking a dog to do calculus. Not gonna happen. 

Marty leaned over, clearly interested. “Snowy got a date?”

Before Tater could say anything, Snowy interrupted. “Yeah, I met someone for a date this morning before practice. I’d say it went pretty well, I even got a second date out of it.” He was definitely not looking at Jack when he said that. Nope. Not at all.

“She woke up this early to see you?!” Poots shouted in disbelief. “Wow. Give her a week or so until she realizes you’re definitely not worth it.”

The rest of the team chimed in with chirps and encouragement until it was time to head out to the ice.

Jack lingered back to walk out with Snowy.

“So, you thought it went well?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“Yeah, but hopefully it’ll take longer than a week until you realize I’m not worth it,” he chuckled. 

“I think it’s going to take a while longer than that,” Jack smiled and grabbed Snowy’s hand for just a second before following after the rest of the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell with me on [tumblr!](omg-zimbits-trash.tumblr.com)

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell with me on [tumblr!](omg-zimbits-trash.tumblr.com)


End file.
